Unit 14 grammar_notes to upload

1. A sentence in the passive voice has a
corresponding sentence in the active voice:
The police never
catch some
criminals.
Some criminals are
never caught.
object
subject

1. The object in the active voice sentence becomes the
subject in the passive voice sentence:
Someone took the
money.
The money was
taken (by
someone).object
subject

Only transitive verbs, those followed by an object, can
be passive.
No one has seen
Cooper since
1972.
Cooper has not
been seen since
1971.
object
subject
BE CAREFUL!

Intransitive verbs (not followed by an object) cannot be
passive.
Many people think
Cooper must have
died.
Cooper died.
BE CAREFUL!

2. Passive sentences are formed with be + the past participle.
They occur in present, past and future forms.
Police officers are well trained. Are = present tense of be
+ past participle trained
The suspect was arrested
yesterday.
Was = past tense of be
+ past participle arrested
He will be held in the local jail. Will be = future tense of be
+ past participle held
Several witnesses have been
interviewed.
Have been = present perfect of be
+ past participle interviewed.

2. To make a negative passive sentence, put not after
the first verb:
Many other planes have been
hijacked since 1971.
Have been = present perfect
of be + past participle
hijacked
Cooper has not been caught. First helping verb + not + other
verbs

2. Use the present progressive and past progressive
passives to describe actions actually in progress (and
not finished):
The suspect is being held in
prison.
Is being= present progressive
of be + past participle held
The robbery occurred while the
money was being taken to a
bank.
Was being= past progressive of
be + past participle taken

3. Use the passive voice when you don’t know who
performed the action or when it’s not important to say
who peformed it:
The money was stolen. (I don’t know who stole the
money.)
The plane was refueled. (Somebody refueled the plane.
For the purposes of this story, it
is not important to know exactly
who did it.)

3. Use the passive voice when you want to avoid
mentioning who did it (the person who did = the agent:
A criminal is somehow
regarded as a hero.
(I don’t want to say who
regards a criminal as a hero. I
have a low opinion of people
who think that way.)
The report will be finished by
Friday.
(I’m not saying exactly who is
going to do this job, maybe
because I haven’t figured out
yet who will do it.)

3. Use the passive voice when you want to focus on the
receiver or the result of the action instead of the agent.
The thief was caught (by the detective).
This is the important
event
This information is
less important

3. We also use the passive voice if the agent of the
action is obvious, and does not need explanation:
He was arrested.
This is the important
event
The police
arrested him. That
is obvious.

3. Pay attention to how people in the government and
positions of authority use the passive voice! They often
use it to evade responsibility.
Some poor decisions were
made in the design the new
Affordable Care website.
(Somebody made mistakes,
but it wasn’t me.)
The issue will be investigated. (It’s not clear exactly who will
investigate the issue, so maybe
nobody is really going to.)

4. Usually we do not use by after a passive. We may
use it in these situations:
a. To introduce new
information about the agent.
The money was stolen by a
person who has a criminal
record.
b. To give credit to someone
who did something.
The bills were photocopied by
FBI agents.
c. When the agent is surprising. The money was found by a little
boy.

You can omit the by phrase in
passive sentences if you feel it is
unnecessary or indesirable to
mention the agent:
Why hasn’t this crime been solved?

5. Most commonly, the direct object of an active
sentence is the subject of the corresponding passive
sentence::
The police arrested the suspect.
The suspect was arrested by the police.
Direct
object
Subject

5. However, an indirect object is sometimes the subject
of a passive sentence::
The FBI gave Cooper the money.
Cooper was given the money by the FBI.
Indirect
object
Subject

6. We often use modals and modal-
like auxiliaries in the passive. To
form the present passive with a
modal, use the modal + be + past
participle:
The criminal should be arrested.

6. To form the past passive with a
modal, use the modal + have been
be + past participle:
He could have been arrested before
this.

6. Use have to, have got to, had better,
had to, must, ought to and should in
sentences to express advisability,
obligation and necessity.
The charges had to be dropped.
Criminal suspects must be charged.

6. Use can and could to express present
and past ability.
Suspects can’t be kept in jail.
The thief could have been caught.

6. Use will and be going to to talk about
future events.
The prisoner will be tried.
The suspects are going to be released.

6. Use can, could, may and might to talk
about future possibility and impossibility.
The mystery may never be solved.
He can’t be released from jail.

7. The passive can also be formed with
get. The passive with get is more informal
than the passive with be. It is
conversational and characteristic of
informal writing.
Will that criminal ever get caught?
Our team got beaten in the soccer
game.

Although the be passive is used with both action and
non-action verbs, the get passive is used only with
action verbs:
More research is
needed about the
causes of crime. **More research
gets needed about
the causes of
crime.
BE CAREFUL!

8. Have an get + object + past participle are used to
form the passive causitive. There is usually little
difference between the causative with have or get.
You should have your
car serviced.
I got my best suit
dry-cleaned.

8. The passive causative is used in the past,
present and future and with modals.
We had the windows washed.
I get my car tuned up twice a year.
She is going to get her hair cut.

9. Use the passive causatives to talk about
services or activities that people arrange for
someone to do.
The detective had the evidence analyzed.
Sometimes criminals get their hair dyed or
shaved.

9. The passive causative can occur with a by
phrase only when it is necessary to mention the
agent.
I got my photos developed at the drugstore.
We had our house inspected by Jim.

Don’t confuse the simple past causative with the past
perfect:
They had the grass
cut. (Simple past
causative—someone
else cut the grass.)
They had cut the
grass. (Past perfect,
active voice—that had
done this before a
specific time in the
past.)
BE CAREFUL!

Don’t confuse the passive causative with the passive
expression do get something done meaning to finish
something.
I got the work done
by a mechanic.
(passive causative
I got the word done
by noon. (I finished
the work by twelve
p.m.)
BE CAREFUL!
(AMBIGUOUS SENTENCE)

Unit 14 grammar_notes to upload

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Unit 14 grammar_notes to upload